Seal The Deal
by Madcap Minstrel
Summary: ::One-shot:: Rufus and Jessie make a few things clear to each other before spending the night together at the Gold Saucer. Takes place during Chapter 26 of "Us & Them"


Rufus closed the door behind him, carefully locking it.

"This is your room, huh?" Jessie looked around before her gaze fell upon the king-sized bed in the corner of the room.

Rufus regarded her with a cool, yet slightly eager expression. "Tell me something. Why are you okay with being alone in my room?"

"Because you're beginning to fascinate me," Jessie admitted.

"You've heard stories about me humiliating and abusing the women I've slept with in the past, haven't you?"

"Yes. I've also heard stories about you being a worthless lay-about. That isn't true, now is it?"

"No, it isn't. But you trust me not to slap you, or rape you, or torture you?"

"Something tells me if you wanted to do that, we wouldn't be standing here just talking to each other," said Jessie.

"Sit down," Rufus invited her as he sat down himself at a small table that had two chairs.

"Okay," Jessie sat across from the vice-president.

"You don't think I'll use you and abandon you the next day?" he asked.

"If you do, I'll tell Barrett and he'll break your skull. You're still technically our hostage. But also if you use me, I believe I have no one to blame but myself. I'm taking a big risk being here,"

"What do you want to do here tonight?" Rufus asked her seriously.

"I want to stay here with you,"

"Why?"

"Because it feels right. If we lose, we're going to die. I still feel as though I'll have no regrets if we do die,"

"I could just be putting on an act to coax you into bed,"

"Maybe _I'm_ the one putting on an act so you'll help us,"

"You're really not afraid of me, are you?"

"Should I be?"

Rufus took her hand and kissed it. "No. For the first time, I'm alone with a woman and I can truly say: don't be afraid,"

"I'm not," she said as she took off her shoes and socks, planting her feet on the edge of the table.

Rufus smirked. "Make yourself comfortable,"

Jessie smiled mischievously. "All right then,"

She took off her faded blue shirt and tossed it over her shoulder, as if responding to an unspoken challenge.

"You know," Rufus remarked as he looked over her figure, "You hide such a lovely body inside that ragged old T-shirt and those baggy pants. Why?"

"Because they're comfortable. And because I want to be seen as a technician first, and a woman second wherever I work. But I'll tell you a secret: I _did_ wear a dress to my junior prom. And I liked it. I do like feeling pretty every once in a while,"

"You_ are_ pretty," Rufus admitted, "You said junior prom, though. Did you not go to your senior prom?"

"No," said Jessie, "I got expelled at the end of my first semester senior year. For having plans to build a bomb. Maybe it wasn't a great idea for my final project for science. But it was a good way to get Avalanche's attention. And when they saw how well-done the plans were, they invited me to join. Plus, without school, I had nothing standing in my way,"

"Very clever," said Rufus as he stood up, reached behind Jessie's head and undid her ponytail.

"I like to think so," Jessie said with a smirk as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Too bad you feel compelled to downplay such lovely hair," Rufus lamented.

Jessie leaned forward and put her hands on Rufus' shoulders, kissing him deeply.

"You are, without a doubt, the most straight-forward and _un_-bashful woman I've ever met," he sighed as he pulled away, "It's refreshing,"

Jessie smirked. Rufus wasn't close enough to be aware of how quickly her heart was pounding. Her cool-under-fire façade had won a few card games, and got her out of tough situations on missions. Apparently, it was working here as well.

"You kiss very well. You're not a virgin, are you?"

"Not since I was fifteen," she admitted.

Rufus leaned in and whispered in her ear:  
"Do you really understand just what you're getting into?"

Jessie smirked. "Don't underestimate me. I knew throughout the entire date that it might lead here,"

Rufus chuckled. "What date?"

"What do you call eating dinner with me, watching a play, going to the arcade, and riding the gondola? A business deal?"

Rufus sighed and shook his head, a guilty-as-charged smile spreading over his face.

He stood up and walked over to the bed, sitting down.

"Come here," he invited her, patting the space next to him.

Deciding it was indeed time for the moment of truth, Jessie went over and sat down on the bed right next to him.

"Did you really hold a gun to your last 'mistress's' head?" she couldn't help but ask.

"It wasn't loaded," Rufus told her.

Jessie looked closely at his face, trying to figure out if he was joking or not.

Rufus lifted his hand up to her face, gently caressing it. "I've had to pull a few stunts in order for the media to back off. As a result, we get the whole spiel about how no one's ever seen me bleed or cry. But I urge you to decide for yourself,"

Jessie lay back on the bed.

"I've decided I'm still going to stay," she said, "So what are you going to do?"

Instantly, Rufus was on top of her, inhaling her scent, his lips on her lips, face, and neck.

Jessie could feel her pulse quickening, and her heart pounding. But just as she'd faced WEAPON earlier that day, she felt completely emboldened.

_No fear…_

And for the rest of her life, she could look back on that evening, and say that she had no regrets.


End file.
